The San Marcos High boys arrived Monday to basically calm weather conditions at Dos Pueblos High School. By the time the tennis match began, the winds kicked up furiously and continuously. Actually, the winds seemed more intense than they were on Thursday against Santa Barbara.

The teams tied at 9-9, with Dos Pueblos winning in games, 78-72.

Again, the Chargers had to worry about singles player Richard Cheng, who could easily blow away. Both teams knew that the match would be close. Every player contributed to the win and fought to the best of his abilities. Even in losses, the Chargers won valuable games. They never gave up in this three-hour encounter.

We figured that it would be a balance of wins in singles and doubles. Not today. The Chargers took control of singles by winning seven sets in singles and only two in doubles.

Jared Madison, down 0-3, to Petar Jivkov, remained calm, regrouped and took the next six games for the first singles win. He then took the other two sets without losing a game. Richard Cheng took two sets but fell to Jivkov 3-6. Greg Steigerwald stepped in at No. 3 singles, as Sean Handley had college classes to attend. At the last San Marcos match, Steigerwald came away winless. He vowed he would work harder and make things happen. He did. He took two sets, first 6-4 against Adam Smith, and then 6-1 against Garrett Hazarian. He kept his energy level up from the first point to the last point.

In doubles, the Royals proved quite tough. Eric Katz and Ziyad Marcus lost a heartbreak set in a tiebreaker against Travis Enholm and Parker Funk, but captured a set against Nik Kilpelainen and Garrett Timmons. Peter Shao and Mason Casady took the other set from Jackson Mann and Jackson Foster.

This match was definitely not predictable, as so many factors entered in — from weather conditions to momentum shifts and physical ailments (allergies, injuries and fatigue).

Again, we appreciate the camaraderie among players, coaches and spectators. I applaud my fellow coaches, Alex Edstrom and John Long, who made a big difference this season for the Chargers. This win improves our record to 9-7 overall and 4-3 in league. The Chargers head to Buena on Tuesday for their last Channel League match of the season.

Way to go, Chargers!

Dos Pueblos Singles

Jared Madison 3-0
Richard Cheng 2-1
Greg Steigerwald 2-1

Dos Pueblos Doubles

Eric Katz/Ziyad Marcus 1-2
Peter Shao/Mason Casady 1-2
Jake Roberts/Caleb Franzen 0-3

San Marcos Singles

Petar Jivkov 2-1
Garrett Hazarian 0-3
Adam Smith 0-1
Evan Lincoln 0-2

San Marcos Doubles

Travis Enholm/Parker Funk 3-0
Jackson Foster/Jackson Mann 2-1
Nik Kilpelainen/Garrett Timmons 2-1

— Liz Frech coaches boys’ tennis at Dos Pueblos High School.